From South Florida Business Journal
Nine get jail time for Medicare Fraud
The U.S. Department of Justice said the owners of several health care companies have been sentenced to prison terms in the past two weeks for filing a total of $56.6 million worth of fraudulent Medicare claims.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data shows that Miami-Dade County paid more in durable medical equipment claims than 44 other states, and that only some of the most populous states in the country -- including California, Texas, New York, Michigan and Ohio -- exceeded Miami-Dade's billings.
Also, an average Medicare patient in Miami-Dade County allegedly received $6,200 worth of DME every year, based on paid amounts, though patients throughout the rest of the U.S. average about $1,200 a year.
A task force set up in Miami to reduce fraud brought the cases against:
- Luis Soto, 41, who was sentenced to seven years, three months, for operating Ocean Medical Equipment and 10 other companies that billed Medicare $47 million for items such as oxygen concentrators, nebulizers and wheelchairs that were never provided.
- Noel Rodriguez, 50, who was sentenced to four years, three months, for operating of OxyCare of Miami and submitting more than $1.2 million in false claims for such items as hospital beds and pressure-reducing mattresses.
- Rosabel Gonzalez, 32, who was sentenced to two years, six months, for operating Genesis Associates Group and submitting $1.5 million in false claims, mostly power pressure-reducing mattresses and orthotics.
- Christian Vasquez, 22, who was sentenced to three years, five months, for being the nominal owner of Tamiami Medical Supply, which submitted $1.2 million in phony claims.
- Maria De La Serna, 55, who was sentenced to 19 months, for owning and operating Respiratory One Equipment, which billed Medicare for $345,000 in fraudulent claims.
- Ariel Betancourt, 35, who was sentenced to two years, for being the named owner of Lincoln Medical Supply, which submitted more than $480,000 in false claims.
- José Prieto, 58, who was sentenced to three years, five months, for operating Coral Way Medical, an HIV infusion clinic that billed $900,000 in fraudulent claims. Armando Jorge Herrera, 27, was sentenced to three years for the same operation.
- Reinaldo Lopez, 40, who was sentenced to three years, 10 months, for owning and operating Reny Medical Equipment, which submitted more than $450,000 in false claims for prosthetics and ostomy supplies.
